


Deinstitutionalization

by EarlGrayscale



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, College AU, Government, M/M, Modern AU, Rebellion, da:2, handers - Freeform, i'll tag this as more stuff as i go along, mlm, still kind of a new idea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-09-25 11:16:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9817715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarlGrayscale/pseuds/EarlGrayscale
Summary: In another world, the Department of Managing Magic is called the Mage Circle. But in the States, it’s called the Institution of Elemental Defense. It is a series of facilities across the nation that work in conjunction with the U.S. government. It trains those able to use magic to control their magic, hone in on their specialties, and prepare them to function as citizens of equal ability to those who can't use magic. They are always checked, monitored, even after their release. Those who can't master their skills, or at least not to the extent that they should, lose them. And whatever part of them could tap into that ability. There is a time limit, the institution is strict about it too. Knowing that justice doesn't come without a fight, or taking a few chances, college student Garrett Hawke helps out escapee Anders. Neither of them really knew what they were in for, but they were going to find out together.





	1. Good Samaritan

Magic used to be a closely kept household secret. It still is to those who wish to keep their children. But upon it’s discovery in previous centuries, there has been a negotiation to balance what those with magic would be allowed to do and not do. There was a point where magic was used to fight wars, give warring sides an edge against their opponent. They had started to wage a war of their own, seeing how far their power would let them travel across the continents. But people learned how to counteract against magic, and set to control it, and those able to wield it. After some deliberation, it was decided that there was to be a special place for these magic users to be, and there needed to be a special force trained to watch over them specifically. These agents would take children away from their families at a young age, to be raised and trained to manage their abilities and act as a non-magic using member of society by the time they have completed their regulatory education. Those who did not meet quota in a timely manner, would lose the part of the brain that could tap into their magical ability is lost. Most cooperate with the educational programs to prevent this, but this isn’t without failure. It isn’t without protest.

Bethany was not among these people.   
But she described these people to Garrett when he came over to visit. “I stopped feeling bad for them a while ago honestly,” She added her two cents when Garrett asked if she was okay after a classmate was operated on. “If she just said she was having trouble controlling herself sooner they could have adjusted her agenda.”  
“I’m glad they let you do that since you got brought here late,” Garrett added.  
“Oh I know I’m lucky. I still have to make the twenty-five year age mark, but they know I have experience withholding my talent and caught me up to the others pretty quick,” She smiled, proud of herself.  
“You have always been the smart one,” He chuckled with her.  
“Speaking of smart, how’s school been?”  
“It’s going. Still getting used to classes. My pre-law teacher’s pretty dry so far. Hopefully he doesn’t stay like that all semester.”  
“I wouldn’t get my hopes up, but he could surprise you.”  
“I guess. Looks like you got mom’s package. I’ll have to let her know.”  
“Yeah! It was nice. I don’t know what I’ll do with this, but it’s another neck decoration I guess,” She played with the pendant, which laid next to her locket she was given after being brought to the Institution. The chains made a bright contrast to the dark green tattoos that outlined her neck and collar bones, the new silver chain wound smoothly around the worn gold chain.  
“As long as you like it.”  
“I do. Mom did always say quartz is good for relaxing and stuff,” She glanced at the clock as she said this and sighed. “Looks like I’ve gotta go soon. If my memory’s right, shouldn’t you be in a class right now?”  
“I can skip math, it’s a gen-ed.”  
“Garrett, you can’t keep skipping to come and see me, we can figure out another time to meet up.”  
“I’ll figure out a different class to skip next week then.”  
“Or maybe you could try not skipping?”  
“I have the class lecture online anyway, what’s the point?” Garrett asked as he rose from the bench.  
“Getting your goddamn degree is a pretty good reason,” Bethany got up smirking and they hugged tightly.  
“See you next week?”  
“As long as you’re not skipping class to do it.”  
“No promises,” he left for the cafe to study, as he usually did after visiting Bethany. If he was going to do at least remotely well in statistics he might as well have coffee first. 

There weren’t many people there at three in the afternoon, which is how he preferred it. It was easier for him to study that way. Not that he planned to actually study for long, he just wanted to make sure he understood his pre-law material and he can afford to get a C in statistics. Beth helped him out with magic history. Those were the only classes he really cared about anyway. They shared some ideas during the visits about having a way to get magic users better adjusted to a non-using society before releasing them into it. He wanted to look into these policies, see if there’s a way to implement that idea to make everyone’s lives easier. People have tried before but Garrett wanted to see if he could do it himself, suggest it in a way that could be understood from both sides. Since apparently no one came up with a way to make it happen yet. But Beth was right, he needed to get his degree first or no one would listen to him. On to studying he went. For a moment at least. The coffee was much more interesting. So was literally everything out the window. Literally everything. That woman on the phone across the street, who was she talking to? The man who dropped those papers, what were they for? Were they important. That man walking immediately past, where was he rushing to in such a hurry? Actually, his scarf looked raddy, his jeans didn’t fit, and were… singed? The shirt he was wearing looked familiar too. Wait a minute.

Garrett stood from his chair and started outside, leaving his coffee. He followed the man from a safe distance, trying to eye the back of his neck. He couldn’t find anything through the scarf and the hair. But his behavior was suspicious enough to warrant catching up. He needed to stop him, somehow. C’mon Garrett, think fast. “Excuse me!” He exclaimed, rushing to the man and pulling a ten dollar bill from his pocket. The walking man didn’t turn around until Garrett tapped his shoulder, “Excuse me-” he was a little winded from rushing. But it worked, the blond man stopped abruptly and turned around. He looked annoyed, but Garrett continued. “Did you just drop this?” He showed the man the bill, which he looked at for a moment. The man smiled, and presented as calm as he could for being stopped.  
“You must be mistaken, I don’t carry cash,” The man replied and started back around. Garrett persisted and swerved around with him.  
“Nonsense. I’m a college guy but I’m not that cheap. Here,” he insisted, holding it out for the man to take.  
“Thank you, but I really should be going,” the man looked over his shoulder and started moving.  
“Where were you headed? Maybe I can walk with you?” He walked alongside the man, his suspicions getting more and more affirmed by the second.  
“Looking to keep me company kid?” He scoffed, dodging the question.  
“Sure. You look like you’re not from here, figured I could help you navigate through the safe parts of the city, I’ve lived here a couple years now,” Garrett elaborated, this caught the man’s attention. More, the wording did. The man considered for a moment, his walking slowed.  
“I’m supposed to be meeting a friend at a bar on the west side of town. The Hanged Man,” He finally said.  
“Want to stop here real quick? I think you’re gonna need something warmer to wear if you’re going to be out for the rest of the day,” He pointed out a small restaurant, it wasn’t known for good food, he knew this, and it maybe had a couple of faithful patrons inside.  
“I doubt I’ll find clothes at a sub shop,” The man protested.  
“Fair, but I was hoping to give you my hoodie. It has to be warmer than what you have now,” Garrett insisted. The man, though confused, was cooperative.  
“I’d appreciate it.”

They entered the place, the one behind the stand greeted them briefly, but returned her attention to the patron, presumably a friend who served as a regular. Garrett took off his hoodie and handed it to the stranger. “Go ahead and put this on, you need to warm up. I’ll grab us something. Do you like soda?”  
“I… prefer tea, but I’ll drink it,” The man took the hoodie gingerly, inspecting it.  
“Tea it is then. I’ll get some chips too ‘cause… food,” Garrett affirmed hesitantly, not wanting to insult the place with a staff member across the room. If he was helping out an escapee, he might as well treat himself too. Mostly because he forgot to eat lunch before visiting Bethany. His mind was reeling: what business does this magic-user have at the Hanged Man? He has to be escaped. Why escape now? He called him ‘kid’, was he older than him? So many questions that Garrett knew he wouldn’t get answered anytime soon. The man returned from the restroom while Garrett was finishing getting the drinks from the soda fountain, the hoodie looking big on him, but he looked more relaxed than before. Just as Garrett intended. “Wanna hang out here for a minute or do you wanna keep going?”  
“I did say I was meeting a friend,” The man said with a shrug.  
“Oh I’m sorry, I forgot that fast. Let’s go then, here’s your tea,” Garrett handed him the cup and started ahead. The cold air beat on him as the door opened, but he couldn’t let it show if he wanted this plan to work. They walked in silence for a little while, ironically the man was the first to speak.  
“You seem perceptive, why are you helping me?” The man asked, Garrett was glad he spoke first.  
Garrett shrugged, “Wouldn’t be the first time. What good to magic-users would I be if I only tried doing it on paper?” He sounded comfortable with his answer, somehow confident. The man sighed in relief at the clarity. Finally letting his guard down. For a moment, a sense of security.   
“What’s your name?”  
“Friends call me Hawke,” Garrett answered casually.  
“Presumably because of your keen eye right?”  
“Actually, it’s my last name. But I have been told that too,” He chuckled. “How about you?”  
The man hesitated a moment, before saying, “Anders.”


	2. Leaving So Soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New acquaintances Hawke and Anders are about to meet a friend at the Hanged Man, a bar across town. Anders is determined that this will be his path to freedom at last. Hawke isn't so sure. He didn't frequent the bar but was there often enough to know that he needed to be there in case of a fallout. People and places change after all.

“Who told you about the Hanged Man?”

“I’ve met people outside of the institution before, they said they were able to meet there and not get reported because of the magic-user who works there,” Anders started, some hope behind his reasoning.  
“How did that work out for them?” Garrett asked, looking over with a doubtful expression.  
“Well enough for me to have a contact out here. If I’m lucky we’ll get to head west. We’ll get as far from here as our legs will carry us,” Anders’ expression lightened up as he spoke. Just the notion of following the horizon line to see where it goes made a smile come through. This would normally make Garrett’s spirit lift. But he got nervous as he thought through rumors he had heard. Recent rumors. But enough to possibly complicate Anders’ success if they’re true.

“Are you and your friend sure it’ll be safe there? I’ve heard it hasn’t been a good place to be lately,” Hawke cautiously asked, finally starting to warm back up while adjusting to the cold weather.  
“Of course. Karl wouldn’t lie to me about this it’s too important,” He tried sounding assured, but he wavered and became quiet. He shook his head of any doubt. “We knew each other before transferring from the New York Institution. He wouldn’t.” Garrett could tell he was convincing himself of this.  
“So his name’s Karl?” Garrett tried changing the general subject to ask more about the friend.  
“You have a lot of questions for someone I just met,” Anders dodged the question, Garrett understood, and didn’t push it. The walked the rest of the way in silence, Anders’ face consistently concerned. His concern was outweighed by his determination as he was always at least a step ahead of Garrett.

“Here you go. We should probably che-- Hey hang on a sec!” Garrett pointed out the place when it came into view, but Anders rushed ahead before a plan could be suggested. Garrett caught up and kept pace, following closely behind him as they entered the bar. As expected, there was a small crowd, and Anders was searching every face. It took him a moment to recognize the man on the side of the bar. Not quite by the pool area, but still out of the way. He was sitting alone, and appeared slightly older than Anders. He didn’t seem to be looking for anyone, he was watching his drink, as if that was the most interesting thing in the room to look at. Anders was moseying his way over there, his entire demeanor changed upon finding the man. He looked light, and playful.   
“Mind if I sit here?” Anders asked coquettishly to get the man’s attention. Garrett stood beside Anders and watched him become pale when the man called Karl looked up to respond.  
“Of course not. It is good you are here Anders,” He sounded… lifeless. The men knew what happened as soon as Karl looked up. A scar trailed along his hairline. He had been operated on.  
Garrett looked behind Karl to see if he could see the trackers on his neck. They were active. He looked around when noticing this, eyeing a few of the patrons who turned towards the three when Karl said Anders’ name.

“We need to go,” Garrett said quietly but sternly. He tugged Anders’ sleeve, but he didn’t seem to hear or feel him.  
“When did this… what happened to you?” Anders asked despite already knowing the answer, he swayed, head feeling light. Tears began to well. The men in different areas of the bar began to rise. Garrett stood in front of him briskly when they started moving.  
“Anders--” He started to order with a firm voice, Anders’ attention came back, as though snapped from wherever he was. He blinked and finally made eye contact with him. Garrett halted for just a moment to absorb Anders’ grief. When he was snapped back into the moment. He tried again. “We have to go, now,” he ordered.  
“But he--,” Anders started, occupied by Karl again.  
“Are you leaving already?” Karl spoke again, his tone unchanged, his expression unchanged, despite Anders’ visible distress. “I thought we were going to talk.” He was succeeding in grabbing Anders’ attention and keeping it. 

Garrett took him by the wrist and pulled him towards the back door of the bar. He had seen people get kicked out that way before so he was sure it was an exit. Going out the front would have them trapped. Anders didn’t protest, his body moved on its own when pulled, following Garrett across the room and away from the memory of someone clearly close to him. The other men started rushing as well. Finally noticing the danger around him, he caught up his pace to Garrett’s. He looked behind for a moment to see the three pursuers, clearly angered by Anders not coming alone. They drew guns and started to fire. Garrett let go of and pushed Anders in front of him, winced when his arm was hit. He closed and blocked the door with whatever was nearby. A keg wasn’t much, but it would have to do. He grabbed Anders by the wrist again and lead him through the back alleys. He could hear the men shouting from yards away. They had to keep moving. Living up to his namesake, Hawke navigated through minimally populated streets. They didn’t stop when they started seeing more abandoned buildings than people. Garrett couldn’t recognize the environment anymore, and looked for doors he could open easily. A front door would be too obvious. He took an increasingly breathless Anders through another alleyway, a small one, between two buildings that haven’t seen a soul in probably a few years.   
“Wait here,” Garrett ordered, Anders nodded once, catching his breath. He went behind this would-be apartment and pulled a lock pick from his bag. He was glad at that point that he only carried a few things in it. Maybe it should have a school book too every once in a while. He kept his focus on getting through the door. When he heard the door unlock, he felt like he did his mom proud. He listened for anything else that would signal danger before returning to Anders, who hadn’t budged an inch. “Okay, we can hide in here. C’mon,” Garrett sounded more calm than before now that they had options. He led him more gently inside. He closed and locked the door behind him. There was little inside, or at least nothing that would work as furnishing. Even if there was, the place wasn’t in any shape to be habitable. He was glad there was even a functional door on this place. Furniture would probably be a better door block anyway in this case. Garrett finally leaned against the wall in the next room over towards the front entrance. He looked through the boards that would have been windows a while ago. He winced, addressing the bullet hole in his bicep. “Dammit,” he hissed under his breath, covered the exit wound as best he could with his hand, then returned his attention to Anders, who sat in the middle of the room toward the back entrance. He was silent, in that moment, they both were. Everything that happened settled in. As concerned as Garrett was about being chased, he knew he had an out. He would be in trouble for a little while but he would be able to go home when it was all said and done. He would even be back in school before too long. But if he failed back there, failed here, it was over for Anders. He would probably end up like his friend.

Anders had withdrawn into himself, hugging his knees, not looking relieved that they got away. After deeming the area safe for now, Garrett walked over and sat in front of him. They sat unmoving for a while. Sighing, he said the only appropriate thing that came to his mind, “I’m sorry.” Anders looked up, it was too dark in the room to see details. Though hard to see, he appeared exhausted. His face twisted when getting a look at Garrett’s wound.  
“You’re hurt,” Anders’ voice was flat, matter of fact.  
“I’ll make it. Just uh, do you still have that scarf you were wearing earlier?” Garrett asked while rummaging through his bag to see if there was anything serviceable as bandages. Anders reached out and gingerly grabbed his arm, looking more closely at the wound.  
“Allow me,” He propped Garrett’s arm with one hand and hovered his hand over the wound with the other. A blue-green glow emerged from his hand, illuminating the immediate area between them. Garrett flinched but waited and watched while the hole disappeared before his eyes, the pain along with it. When feeling that the wound had closed, Anders stopped and hugged his knees again, but he looked at Garrett while he examined where the bullet hole just was.   
“Thank you,” Garrett held a serious expression.  
Anders shook his head. “I should be thanking you, Hawke. You could have left me, and yet…” he trailed off, appearing insecure as he reflected.  
Garrett chuckled humorlessly, “No I couldn’t.”  
“‘No’, why?” Anders looked directly at him, searching for assurance or deception, maybe an explanation before Garrett could speak.  
“How old are you?” He asked carefully.  
Anders looked hurt, not from Garrett’s words, but from knowing the implications of the answer, “Twenty-five.”  
“I don’t need to say more then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey guys! My procrastination on school assignments has brought you this next chapter and same deal as last time: open for critique as long as it's constructive, I hope you like it, thanks for reading and hope to see you in the next one!


	3. A Night Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's dark, it's frigid. The world slowed down to an extent that required something to fill the void. The strangers have time to spare now. But so much happened, there was so much yet to come. There wasn't room to sleep for a while. Not until they felt secure.

It started getting colder. The men hadn’t said anything for a while except for Anders offering to give the hoodie back. Garrett laughed at the notion pointing out how Anders was already shivering even with it on. Leaving it alone, they remained as they were, alert. Their visibility lowered by the minute but considering how close they were sitting to each other, Garrett could tell Anders was shivering. Whether it was shivering, crying, or both he couldn’t tell. But he reached out to touch his shoulder. Anders looked up at the gesture despite barely being able to see in front of him. “Do you mind?”  
“Mind what?”  
“You seem cold.”  
“Was it that obvious?”  
“Yeah, a little,” Garrett noted and scooted closer to Anders, hugging him around his shoulders. Anders still shivered for a few moments then became more still. He reached and touched Garrett’s mostly bare arm, his fingertips cold.   
“Aren’t you freezing?”  
“Nah,” Garrett lied. “I’m normally warm so this doesn’t bother me.” Anders got a kick out of this.  
“Oh, so you’re one of those people?” He joked with a soft voice.  
“You bet,” Garrett answered, then they were quiet again. The minutes dragged on. They could arguably count each second. This was more difficult for Anders though. Memories from the day repeated, and they were far too fresh to let go. 

“I’m sorry you got caught up in all this. It wasn’t supposed to end this way...” Anders apologized, strain in his voice.  
“Don’t be. You’re the one that got screwed over,” Garrett assured, he felt a tear drop on his arm, and heard a light chuckle.  
“I suppose that’s one way to put it,” Anders tensed up and buried his face in his sleeve. “Karl is… In New York we were… Something. But now…” Garrett understood, and held him tighter. Anders felt so fragile in that moment, he felt helpless to do anything but hold him and think of something, anything that could serve as comfort.  
“You didn’t know this would happen,” Garrett consoled, if nothing else. He knew apologizing would do nothing, he didn’t think Anders would believe this wasn’t his fault somehow. It was all he could do for now. Anders leaned into Garrett’s shoulder, accepting the comfort. His breath was focused, trying to put himself back together. It worked, mostly. His face was still warm, his voice still shook some by the time he spoke again.  
“We were supposed to leave together you know. From New York. We talked about it for weeks before he was transferred here,” Anders said flatly, not letting his composure break again.  
“Do you think the Defense Officers found out?” Garrett suggested, probably knowing the answer already.  
“I think so. He left without warning or explanation. And now this. I can only imagine what he went through before… this,” He didn’t want to say it, but Garrett understood. He said what came to mind.  
“It would kill me if it happened to my sister. This can’t be easy.”  
“Your sister is in the institution?” Anders lifted his head, curious to the new topic.  
“Yeah. She’s been there since before we moved here,” Garrett sighed.  
“How long?”  
“Five years now. Mom insisted moving closer to her do we could stay in contact. Might have influenced my college choice too,” he elaborated.  
“Visitation is pretty limited usually,” Anders pointed out.   
“Really?” Garrett sounded confused in the darkness. “I see her at least once a week. Mom sees her a couple times on weekends.”  
“She has to either be special or well-acclimated to have that much visitation,” Anders more thought aloud.  
“She does seem comfortable there,” Garrett sighed again, and fell silent in thought.  
“How old is she?”  
“Eighteen.”  
“She isn’t interested in leaving?”  
“Not if it’s illegal.”  
“Strange… Especially since she came there late,” Anders thought aloud, quietly grateful another topic was discussed. He expected Garrett to say something to elaborate on it. He didn’t.

The night dragged on. Both wanting to say something but neither opening their mouths. In time, their vigilance began to weigh on them. Anders was the first to start nodding off, fighting it every step of the way. While still awake, Garrett broke the silence. “I can stay awake if you want to sleep. It’ll be safer if we do this in shifts.” He waited for a reaction.  
“Why… stay and help me?”Anders asked around a yawn. “You’re putting yourself at risk by getting involved so, why?”  
“Taking after mom I guess, can’t just see something and do nothing,” Garrett said with a shrug. It was true, though not the whole story. He wasn’t ready to share that yet.  
“Even if it involves magic?”  
“Especially if it involves magic,” Garrett emphasized. Anders chuckled softly, relaxing some.  
“You're a strange man Hawke,” He noted and rested. He could not fully sleep, there was always a chance of being betrayed, especially after today. He was ready for Garrett to move, he was expecting it. Lulled by the warmth, he became less vigilant as the hours passed, feigning sleep.

A shift in support jolted Anders’ awareness. Hints of light began to fill the room and he sat upright, wondering just how long had passed. “Sorry, I’ve been trying to stay up…” Garrett drowsily mumbled and looked out the the crack between the boards. He looked past Anders’ shoulders to check his watch. “5:12. Fuck. Mom’s gonna kill me,” With that he let go of Anders and checked his phone, which had been on silent since his visit with Beth. 6 missed calls. 14% battery. “I have enough battery. Can you hold tight for a minute?” Garrett asked while opening the contact.  
“Yeah,” Anders started, he would have apologized if Garrett hadn’t already selected speed dial. The voice stormed from the phone.  
“GARRETT ARE YOU OKAY?” Now they both were woken up if they were struggling before.  
“I’m fine, I’m fine--”  
“WHERE ARE YOU?”  
“I don’t know, somewhere outside of town.”  
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T KNOW?”  
“Holy-- can you hang on a sec. Calm down while I explain. Please. I’ve been up all night,” Garrett groaned, rubbing his temple. A voice still came through the phone but it was more difficult to make out. He summarized Anders’ situation and excluded getting shot since it was healed. After that they talked strategy. It was early enough that they could go through back areas before people woke up, or at least before they left for work. They talked about something Garrett and his mom called the “long way” before they talked over a few directions and ended the call. Garrett sighed and pocketed his phone.  
“That was pretty long.”  
“Yeah, sorry. I usually don’t leave mom hanging if I’m looking to help out a magic user.”  
“You do this that often?”  
“Eh you’re a special case so far. Usually it’s just getting folks to point A to point B,” Garrett stood up, grabbed his bag and offered his hand to help Anders up. “Looks like we’re going to my house. Ready?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This felt longer than it ended up being because of in-between time. Don't have much to say aside from the usual so I'll just leave it at that for now. Hope you like, see y'all soon.


	4. House Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawke and Anders made it through the night. They weren't out of the woods yet. Alternatively, they were going further in the woods, getting more lost. No one could find Anders, at least for the moment. We meet the mama bear who lays down the law if Anders is to survive, and to protect what's left of her family.

Even the natural light burned Garrett's eyes, but now was not a time to rest. Neither of them wanted to talk, they could see the exhaustion in the other's face. Home wasn't as far as either of the men initially thought considering how much they ran, but this placement was deliberate. It was out of the way compared to the other houses in that neighborhood. It was a nice enough house, at least nicer than Anders had seen up to that point. Garrett flipped through his set of keys and opened the door for them, going inside first. When Anders stepped in behind him, the first thing he noticed was the smell. Toast, eggs, bacon. A full breakfast.  
“Mom? I'm home!” Garrett called, walking casually around the corner. Anders stayed close, looking around at the unassuming home. Scarlet interior color theme, portraits around the house, more than just Garrett and a mom. But compared to the images of a full house, it seemed empty.  
“Good timing! Breakfast is almost ready,” an older woman's voice came from where Garrett was going. Anders followed and saw the full setup of food, and the regal-looking woman preparing it. She was slim, but fit. She had a small build, but her demeanor commanded respect. “I assume you're Anders, Leandra Hawke- Garrett are you hurt?” She started introducing herself then eyed the blood on his arm that had dried.  
“I'm okay now, just got hit in the crossfire.”  
“You were shot? You know you're not supposed to engage enforcers with guns,” she scolded then inspected the area to make sure it was really okay.  
“I didn't engage, I got distracted,” Garrett explained. Anders shot a puzzled look, he was the one who wouldn't move, not him. Why lie about that? Before he could start to answer, Leandra let go with a relieved sigh.  
“Thank you for healing him. I swear his brashness will kill me faster than it will him,” she laughed softly, but neither of them could tell if she was joking.  
“I should be thanking him, and you for that matter. I'd be in a helpless spot if it wasn't for his quick thinking,” Anders smiled politely, uncertain about his position right now.  
“Don't concern yourself with me, you both look tired and I bet you're starving,” she set them up with plates and joked about how Garrett still needed to go to class today. He planned to claim an all-nighter to prep for his stats test in a few days, which was only half false. He ate slow on account of how much he wanted to sleep. But he ate everything, and then some from Anders’ plate, who comparatively didn't have much of an appetite. Ms. Hawke went up the stairs to set something up for Anders in the guest room while they ate.  
“‘Garrett’?” Anders asked with a slight smirk.  
“I guess I could’ve told you that before. Won’t hear anyone but mom call me that though,” Garrett noted with a shrug.  
“Is it just you two?”  
“My uncle comes by every now and then, but he’s normally pretty busy being a human disaster,” He noted casually and finished up his food. “Are you done?” He nodded to Anders’ plate.  
“Oh, yes. Sorry for not eating more.”  
“Don’t worry about it. We can’t make you,” Anders’ chest felt tight with an old memory. The unease was shifted when Garrett took the plate and sat it on the floor. He whistled and a large hound stormed down the stairs and looked between the men and the food intently. “It’s all yours Dog,” Garrett leaned on the table and watched the new member of the table eat the leftovers. Anders had backed up a few feet back with his chair.  
“Please tell me he doesn’t bite,” Anders pleaded alert and awake. To which Garrett laughed.  
“Only if me or ma tell him to,” He answered and looked fondly at the dog strangely enough called ‘Dog’. Anders placed his feet back on the ground as Dog finished the food and looked up at the new human in the house. He lowered his head to sniff the man’s pant leg.  
“Hi,” Anders greeted, Dog wagged his small tail and barked playfully. “Did he actually understand that?”  
“Absolutely. He’s smart,” Garrett leaned more into his arm, basically propping his head up.  
“Honestly Garrett, go to bed,” Ms Hawke tapped Garrett’s shoulder and took the plates to the sink.  
“Do you need me to go over house rules?”  
“I can do house rules. Get some sleep,” She tugged his chair. Garrett got up.  
“Don’t mind me, mom ‘ll fill you in. See ya… in a few hours,” He let Anders know like he was just about to take a break, and forced himself upstairs. His mind reeled. Mostly aching for rest. He didn’t know how Anders was able to rest at all. He got in his bed. Whoever ended up living here he always had this space. He hadn’t been so grateful for his bed in a while.  
______________________  
“I see you met Dog?” Ms Hawke patted Dog’s head who was still trying to get attention from a reluctant Anders.  
“Yes… Is his name really just ‘Dog’?” He asked, hesitating to reach out to also pet the beast, but Dog caught on to this, and was still while being gently petted.  
“Yes. That was all he would respond to when we found him. So we just kept it,” Ms Hawke started cleaning the dishes. Anders became more comfortable with Dog, finding common ground, despite his heart sinking from it. He never thought he would have something in common with a dog. He wasn’t about to tell anyone about that though. He still wasn’t sure whether to stay, or try and sort out his direction on his own. He would have time to figure it out at least. Garrett had bought him time. He made a mental note to thank him when he woke up.

“I’m generally more fond of cats,” Anders noted, half to remind himself.  
“We don’t have any if that’s what you’re getting at,” Ms Hawke laughed and finished up, heading back to the table, this time to sit. Her expression became serious. “Anders,” she got his attention with the lowered, stern tone in her voice. “You recall Garrett mentioning house rules?”  
“Yes ma’am,” He stopped petting dog, his attention rested directly to her eyes. The mixed ferocity and focus, he could see where Garrett inherited his demeanor from.  
“I don’t know why he brought you here but it’s not the first time. You are welcome to stay as long as you need until you know where else to go. That being said, you need to help us help you. That’s where the house rules come in, we need to be sure that you won’t be the last,” Her words were formal, icy. Anders seemed paralyzed, the request sounded like a demand, and the demand like a threat. She could write them up if necessary, but physical evidence had to be limited, so she strongly encouraged listening carefully.

“House Rule number one: No magic in the house.” She assumed the reason why needed no explanation. Anders assured that he knew better than to do so. The small trackers that aligned his back were sensitive to magic. Particularly the focused energy and the expense it takes to use it. For those whom magic comes effortlessly, it detects change in environment around the person. All nerve signals come back to the center. Anders was taught this, he knew the risks. Leandra knew the risks would lead enforcers to her home. 

“Number two: Don’t tell people you are living here.” Like the first one she hoped this would go without saying. But they have had uninvited guests before who have taken valuable things from them. Leandra didn’t care to say what they were. 

“Three: If you must leave, let Garrett or myself know where you are going and when you expect to return.” Garrett would have more time than her to scout out a place if Anders had not returned by the expected time. But neither of them would do more than that.

On a similar note: “Four: Never enter through the front door unless accompanied by Garrett or myself.” See rule number two for details. Anders will be provided a key to the basement door.

“Five: Don’t provoke the police officer.” Anders asked for elaboration. The Hawkes are good friends with the recently promoted police chief of the city police. They knew each other before moving to the area, in between then they both lost loved ones and found comfort in one another. The officer knows about what they do and keeps them off the radar, in return for their service to those harmed by injustice, notably mages. However, she is bound by the law and would prefer seeing it upheld. If provoked through intimidation or other measures, she will apprehend him. Anders found comfort in being able to stay hidden, but had already realized this comfort was fragile. He asked if there was anything else.

“Don’t forget the basics.” He had no idea what she meant by that. Ms Hawke continued, “to stay hidden”. Keeping away from windows, clean up after yourself, fold up your sheets etc. If they are not home, he is not there. Some of this will loosen over time, but as he is now, he needs to stay out of sight the best he can. Especially since there were enforcers willing to elicit his destination to try and trap him. Anders nodded, understanding and silent. He didn’t want to think of last night, mostly because that’s all he could think about. Karl’s face, where did the life go from his eyes? He shouldn’t have to be like that, it shouldn’t have happened to him, he didn’t…

Anders noticed Ms Hawke didn’t continue to speak. When had he started crying?  
“I’m sorry for upsetting you, it must have been frightening to say the least,” Her intuition took over and her warmth returned, her expression concerned.   
He shook his head. “It’s not you,” he assured, wiping his eyes and returning to the present. “Is there anything else?”  
“No, that’s it as far as the general rules go. If you’re unsure about something later on, you can ask.”  
“Thank you,” he sighed and looked towards the window, the sky was overcast. Some sun was peeking through, but it wasn’t much. Especially compared to earlier.  
“Are you tired?”  
“Not really.”  
“At least take a bath,” She suggested, getting up. “I’ll wash your clothes too. You’re welcome to take some of Garrett’s in the meantime. I’m sure he won’t mind.”  
“O-Okay, thank you,” he nodded once and looked around confused. She directed him to the bathroom upstairs. 

It didn’t take more than a few seconds to identify Garrett’s room. Firstly from the snoring and second because it was the only door open in the hallway. He didn’t want to touch anything, but he needed to if he wanted to wear something that wasn’t on the floor. He mused through the closet and tried finding something that was close to his size. A t-shirt and sweatpants was the closest thing he could find without feeling too invasive. He looked over to Garrett, who was sound asleep. He looked peaceful. Anders hadn’t even really thought about if he was able to rest the night before at all. Did he stay up to keep an eye out the whole time? When he wakes up. He will thank him when he wakes up. Until then, he moved on to the bath.

Time moved slowly. He got in the water and was finally welcomed with comfort. He stayed there for a while. Even in a bathroom at the institution, there was no real privacy. There was someone watching the outside of the door, there were eyes and ears everywhere. This was calming. He could finally disappear for a moment. Maybe a few moments. In here, Anders didn’t exist. He found comfort in that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, sorry I took to long with this chapter (to all 2 of you keeping up with this). You know how it is with slow scenes. I had a couple waves and finally pushed through this one. I outlined where I wanted to go from here in my head but it's been a while since I focused on it so I'll get the ball rolling again soon. Since the last chapter I graduated master's school, started a full time job, my brother started school and the other bought a house. There's other stuff too but basically I've had a lot on my plate. Now that I'm getting in the swing of things I'll see about getting back on this.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I hope you like this. It's an AU that I came up with kind of on the fly and I'm rolling with it.  
> Definitely open for critique as long as it's constructive. Definitely send ideas as this is a work in progress.   
> This is my first work in years that has had chapters and the first fanfic that isn't just a one-shot. Also, can't promise regular updates 'cause I'm in master's school. But I'll do my best. So hey, thank you for reading, hope you liked it, and see you in the next chapter!


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